Classic Maya culture developed in three regions in
Mesoamerica. By far the most complete urban developments were in
the lowlands in the
"central region" of southern Guatemala. This region is
a drainage basin about sixty miles long and twenty miles wide and
covered by tropical rain forest.

The Mayas
are only one of two peoples to develop an urban culture in a tropical
rainforest.

The principal city in this region wasTikal.The most Southern Mayan city was Copan in northern Honduras.
In the Guatemalan highlands to the north, Mayan culture developed
less fully. The highlands seem to have been the main suppliers
of raw materials to the central urban centers.

A very large center is Palenque. The
other major region of Mayan growth was the Yucatan peninsula making
up the northern and eastern portions of modern-day Guatemala. This
is a dry region but city centers were built including Chichen
Itza and Uxmal (pronounced "Oosh-mal")
After the Classic Mayan cities were abandoned, the Yucatán
peninsula became the main region of a new, culture called Toltec-Mayan
which was formed when Toltecs coming from the north mixed with the
native Maya peoples

The Mayans
built very sophisticated city centers. They understood astronomy and
mathematics and had the most developed and complex system of writing
in the Americas.

Almost all the urban centers were built in tropical rain forest.
This is the probably the biggest reason why the Mayans never
developed a fully urban culture. Topical rain forest is difficult
to live in. and can only support small groups of humans.

While plant
and animal growth seems almost out of control and the rains never stop, tropical
rain forest makes very poor farming land.
A greater amount of area is required to support each person—and people
tend to spread out rather than form cities.

There may never more than 30 people per square mile during the classic
period. So the Mayan accomplishments are truly awe-inspiring.